Syracuse painting company owner pleads guilty to state charge

Syracuse, N.Y. — The owner of a Syracuse painting company — who has been in custody since Sept. 6 — pleaded guilty Monday to violating state law by improperly paying his employees for work on taxpayer-funded jobs.

Byron Haynes, 44, owner of Haynes Painting Co., was sentenced in Syracuse City Court to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay four of his employees a total of $15,000 in restitution, said Rob DeMarco, senior assistant district attorney.

Haynes remains in custody, detained by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement, on federal charges “completely unrelated” to the state charge, DeMarco said. DeMarco wouldn’t comment on the federal charges, but said Haynes will probably be transferred to another facility while awaiting the federal charges.

Regarding the state charge, Haynes misclassified his employees as independent contractors so he wouldn’t have to pay them what was required under state law for public projects. The state charge is an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail, DeMarco said.

Under the plea agreement, Haynes is prohibited from bidding on any New York state publicly funded project, either as a contractor or an agent of a third party.